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Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is becoming commonplace today for numerous reasons. A few common areas LED lighting is used include: Replacement bulbs for 40, 60 and 75-watt incandescent bulbs Kitchen-under cabinet lighting Holiday lights Industrial and commercial lighting such as street lights, parking garage and lot lighting, refrigerated case lighting, and other outdoor lighting Here are just a few of the benefits: Life. Incandescent bulbs can last about 1,000 hours, or about 41 days of continuous use. Fluorescent bulbs last a maximum of 10,000 hours, or a bit more than one year. LED lights can have a life of anywhere […]

Lose weight. Exercise more. Save money. All noble New Year’s resolutions. But don’t forget your electrical system. Here are some resolutions to keep your electrical system running safely and efficiently. Make sure all appliances, electronics and lights are shut off or –even better – unplugged when not in use. Do a nighttime check to ensure everything is shut off. Use energy-efficient LED lighting, which requires less energy to produce light. Connect multiple appliances, etc. to a power strip, and turn the power strip off when not in use. Invest in surge protectors to protect your appliances, electronics, computers, etc. in […]

You are preparing a festive holiday meal. Or you’re watching the big game. Or you’re drying your hair, getting ready for work or an evening out. Suddenly, the oven stops working. Or the TV flickers off. Or the hair dryer stops. You’ve tripped a circuit breaker (if you have a fuse box, click here). Circuit breakers “trip” (interrupt the flow of electricity) to prevent a circuit overload or fire due to a short circuit. Breakers are designed to trip at a specific number of amps, such as 15, 20 or 30. Circuit breakers are found in circuit breaker boxes, and […]

There are lots of factors to consider when hiring an electrician. A few to consider are: Years in business Appropriate licenses and insurance References Guarantees and warranties At one point, though, price will undoubtedly come into play. But here are some things to consider. 1. The hourly rate. It is certainly easy to compare hourly rates. But that can be misleading. For example, an experienced electrician may charge more, but may come to your house with everything he needs and can complete the work in as timely manner. A less experienced electrician may not have everything he needs, and it […]

Last month we discussed four different types of surge protectors. This month we will discuss features to consider when buying a protector. As a reminder, there are four different types of protectors: Whole house surge protectors guard the house from external surges by allowing in only the electricity your home needs. It then protects devices from surges inside the home. Surge protector strips plug into an electrical outlet, and allow multiple devices to be plugged into them. However, not all power strips provide surge protection. Battery backup/uninterruptible power supply (UPS) protectors provide instant backup power to connected devices in case […]

A surge protector (or surge suppressor) is a device designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes. A surge protector attempts to limit the voltage supplied to an electric device by either blocking or shorting to ground any unwanted voltages above a safe threshold. Surge protectors are especially important for high end electronic equipment and, especially, computers. A power surge can destroy your computer system and/or wipe out your data. You do not want that. So what type of surge protector is right for you? In this blog, we will discuss the various types of surge protectors. Next time, we […]

While we are not in the habit of recommending you try to do electrical work yourself, there are a few relatively simple things that a non-professional can do. One is changing a light switch. Of course, if you are uncomfortable performing this simple tasks yourself, call a professional electrician. Here are the steps: Turn off the power by firmly moving the breaker to the off position. If your breakers are not labeled, you will need to test each breaker until you find the right one. Unscrew the cover plate and switch. Pull the unit straight out to access the terminal […]

You know that feeling of frustration you get when all of a sudden an appliance shuts off? Or the computer that you thought you had plugged in suddenly goes dead, and it turns out it really was plugged in? The problem may not be your appliance or computer. It may be the electrical outlet. Here are some tips on troubleshooting electrical outlet problems. Make sure the appliance, computer, etc. is not the problem. Plug a small appliance that you know is working (like an alarm clock) into the problem outlet and see if it works. Check both outlets to make […]

Electric cars (also known as electric vehicles or EVs), include both cars that run solely on electricity and “hybrids” that use a combination of gas and electricity. They are becoming much more popular for a few reasons: They are environmentally friendly. They are economical. The cost to charge an EV for a year is about one third of the cost to fuel a “traditional” car. The majority of drivers drive less than 60 miles on weekdays, well within the range of many EVs. There are literally dozens of EVs on the market, thus appealing to people who prefer any type […]

Electrical shock occurs when a person comes in contact with an electrical energy source. About 1,000 people a year die from electrical shock. While most of these deaths are job-related, some do occur in the home. With proper precautions, many of those could have been avoided. So here are some tips on how to avoid potentially fatal electrical shocks. Hire a professional. The easiest way to make sure you are not the victim of electrical shock is not to mess with electricity. Unless you are really sure of what you are doing (not just kind of sure), hire a professional […]